WILD GOOSE TRAIL FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2026

Generous cut-offs, unending trail beauty, rockin' aid station and sweet swag... Join us at Wawayanda State Park in Hewitt, NJ for the Wild Goose! We have distances for everyone so keep on reading to learn more. Please check out the Trail Party Handbook for all of the deets! We are supporting our non-profit partner, Bigger Than The Trail with this Trail Party!

QUICK STATS

RACE FORMAT

36H, 100M, 100K, 50M, 50K, 13.1M, 10K, Kids 1M
3 different trail loops repeated

public transportation

No public transit options available. Email us and we can help coordinate a carpool!

CUTOFF

36 hours for the 100M, 100K, and 50M
12 hours for the 50K
10 hours for the 13.1M and 10K

ELEVATION & terrain

Great mix of hard packed wide trails and technical singletracks with rocks and roots

100M ~ 11,239 ft elevation gain
100K ~ 6,476 ft elevation gain
50M ~ 5,272 ft elevation gain
50K ~ 3,238 ft elevation gain
13.1M ~ 1,414 ft elevation gain
10K ~ 600 ft elevation gain

CAPACITY

Capped at 500 participants across all events

TRAIL PARTY DETAILS

WILD GOOSE

The Wild Goose is a Trail Party that is designed for both the Newbies and the Veterans. With generous cutoff times and an average of around 112 feet of elevation gain per mile for each of the events, this is a GREAT event for the Newbies. Veterans looking for a runnable course will have a lot of fun at the Wild Goose. Although Wawayanda State Park is located in the mountains of the northern New Jersey Highlands, the trails that we are using are runnable and most definitely hiker-friendly. We have plenty of race options to choose from and the schedule staggers the start times on Saturday and Sunday so that there will be runners/hikers out on the course for the entire duration of the event. We only have one cut-off for the 100M and that’s for the final loop. We don’t want anyone to feel like they are “chasing cutoffs”. This will also encourage runners/hikers to stay out there longer and get that FINISH. We have festival programming on Friday, several races running on Saturday and Sunday, camping at the beach, plus local vendors to make this a true Trail Festival! Please check out the Trail Party Handbook for all of the deets!

CHARITY PARTNER

We are proud to partner with Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT). BTTT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health. BTTT's mission is to enrich the lives of individuals struggling with mental health. Through their fundraising efforts, BTTT cost-free therapy to those in need! Please consider making a donation to BTTT when you register for this squatchy trail party.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Swag items, bib & safety pins
Handcrafted Finishers' Medal
Handcrafted buckles for 100K and 100M finishers
Aid Stations with hot food (including vegan and gluten-free!), snacks, water, Skratch, open all 36 hours
EMT from 7am-7pm and Ambulance on-site overnight from 7pm-7am.
Awards for top 3 female, and non-binary and male
Pizza made on-site for all ultramarathon finishers (100M, 100K, 50M, 50K); vegan pizza available
Pre-race panels, meeting and film screening on Friday September 18th
Free camping at the Festival
Professional race photos
Access to all clinics/webinars leading up to the Festival. Check out the clinic line-up HERE!

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Wild Goose course has a little bit of everything - doublewide trails, rolling singletracks, technical sections with rocks and roots, wood plank boardwalks, and a bit of road. There are rocks and roots. The entire course is not technical, but there are definitely stretches that are tech-y. Here is the feedback we hear from runners who have gone on the course and live in the northeast: if you live in Northern NJ or the Hudson Highlands (NY) area, these trails are not super duper technical. For folks coming from NYC, Long Island, Brooklyn etc these trails are much more technical than city-trails and rail trails. For anyone not used to running in the Jersey Highlands or Hudson Highlands , unless your home turf is on very mountainous terrain, you will likely find these trails to be challenging in spots with the rocks and roots, while runnable in many others with gravel-y trails. There is an average of around 112 ft elevation gain per mile.

AID STATION

The Volunteer Dream Team truly makes the Trail Magic happen at our Aid Stations! Squatch HQ (the Start/Finish at the Lake) - is where the 36 HOUR PARRTTYYY will be! This is the only aid station for the race (no other aid will be on the course). Squatch HQ will be rockin’ from 7am Saturday until 7pm Sunday night! Our Volunteers will be ready to assist you throughout the event. We work hard to have a variety of nutrition and hydration available at our events. We include many gluten-free and vegan options (upon request, we have separate cookware available to make hot vegan options on our stove). Check out the menu items in the Trail Party Handbook. If you don’t see something that you think would make a great addition to our aid stations, drop us a note and we’ll see what we can do! We always have a fully stocked first aid kit and AED at Squatch HQ. Our first aid kit includes mentrual products and wipes. We have several private changing tents at Squatch HQ that are available before, during, and after the event. Lastly, we have The Jackalope Tent! This is a quiet space that's is available at most of our Trail Parties. The tent is away from the crowds and loud music. Stop by the Jackalope Tent when you need a break. The Jackalope Tent is a multi-use space that is also available for breastfeeding. Why do we call it the Jackalope Tent? Jackalopes are peaceful cryptids and are also excellent singers (usually tenor).

trail party handbook

Our Trail Party Handbook for is extremely comprehensive. Learn about the events, schedule, aid station, lodging, camping, etc etc etc! Please take the time to read through the handbook and then let us know what questions you have.

VOLUNTEER DREAM TEAM

Our Volunteer Dream Team is what makes all of the Trail Magic happen! Join us as a Volunteer at this trail party as we support our squatchtastic running community. We have many Volunteer opportunities available such as Check-In, Aid Station Crew, Course Sweepers etc. Click here to Volunteer!.

VOLUNTEER for SWAG

We’re excited to launch a new initiative to help grow our volunteer community at the Wild Goose Trail Festival... If you're running or hiking with us and bring along a friend or family member who volunteers with us (for any of the volunteer slots) during the festival, you’ll score your choice of an apparel item from the Squatch Shop. When your volunteer signs up through UltraSignup, they’ll be able to tell us who their runner is, so you can score that swag item at the race. This is a great way to get your crew involved and give back to the trail community! (And don't worry, all Volunteers go home with special swag!!)

PACERS

Any participants who are on the course after sunset can have a pacer with them. Pacers need to pre-register with us (no charge) and wear a pacing bib while on the course. We welcome pacers to help themselves at the aid station but request that Crew bring their own supplies.

As with all of our events, Squatchers over the age of 60 and AWD (athletes with disabilities) can have a pacer/guide at any time. Please pre-register your pacer here.

CREW

All runners/hikers can have a Crew join them at the Trail Party for the duration of the event. Crew access is only available at Squatch HQ. Crew are welcome to set up their own pop-up tents at Squatch HQ in the designated areas. All tents and canopies MUST be staked/weighted down. The park collects a $5 parking fee per vehicle (please have exact change in cash).

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENT

All 100 milers and 36 hour participants are required to complete 8 hours of trail work or trail race volunteering..

Volunteering must be completed between September 22, 2025 and September 18, 2026.

Please use this google form to submit your volunteer hours.

What counts as Volunteering?

Trail maintenance or trail building with any trail organization in any state or country. Please include the email/phone number of the organizer/supervisor you volunteered with. This is a great resource to find a group to connect with.
Pick up trash while hiking or trail running.
Trail race volunteering at a trail race. You can do your Volunteer hours at any trail race.
Volunteer with a non-profit running organization that promotes running for kids (like Girls on the Run)

If you are unable to complete the volunteer hours, you can make a donation to our Charity Partner Bigger Than The Trail for $100. You can use this link to make the $100 donation to Bigger Than The Trail if you choose to not complete the volunteer hours.

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GETTING TO THE RACE

The address to the main entrance is 885 Warwick Turnpike, Hewitt, NJ. This is the main entrance on Warwick Turnpike, where the park office is located. Some GPS devices want to drop you in the middle of nowhere on Warwick Turnpike, so we recommend using these GPS coordinates for the Park Office: 41.198038, -74.397315. When you enter the park through the main entrance on Warwick Turnpike, follow signs to Wawayanda Lake/The Beach. It will take about 5 minutes to get there from the entrance on Warwick Turnpike. The Auxiliary Gate is located at 120 Wawayanda Road, Highland Lakes, NJ. If you enter the park through the Auxiliary Entrance, continue straight through the gate and then make your first right, following the signs to Wawayanda Lake/The Beach. The GPS Coordinates for the Auxiliary Gate are: 41.192166, -74.434160 For some folks, entering through the Auxiliary Gate may be more efficient. Regardless of which way is quickest for you, please be sure to take the time to open up the map on your GPS app and zoom in to make sure you are going to either the Auxiliary Gate or the Main Entrance. Please read through our Trail Party Handbook to see detailed driving instructions and maps!

The park charges a $5 parking fee per vehicle. Please have exact change in cash.

Interested in carpooling? Email us!